In June, we spent an inspiring week of fieldwork in Tanzania, where we were honored to join FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division in their ongoing research to map diverse models of farmers markets to evaluate their contribution for agrifood systems transformation.
It was a pleasure to be accompanied by our local member, Dr. Furaha Abwe, whose extensive hands-on research experience brought invaluable insights to this initiative.
Collaboration with MVIWATA: Empowering Smallholder Farmers
Over the week, we worked alongside the remarkable team at MVIWATA, the national smallholder farmers organization in Tanzania, representing over 400,000 members and more than 1 million beneficiaries. Since its founding in 1990, MVIWATA has been working tirelessly to:
- Ensure dignified livelihoods for peasants
- Promote agroecological production systems
- Defend land rights and resist land grabbing, particularly from Western biofuel interests
Markets Led by Women: Mlali and Nyandira
We visited the Mlali and Nyandira markets in Tanzania’s Morogoro region, where we witnessed once again, just as in Ghana, that women are the driving force of local markets. From farming to trade and food security, their contributions remain central to sustaining rural economies.
The journey through the breathtaking Uluguru Mountains to Nyandira showcased both the challenges and the resilience of local farmers. Here, smallholders cultivate diverse crops, beans, cabbages, manioc, rice, and fruits, adapted to the steep highland terrain.
Thanks to the support of MVIWATA, farmers in this region receive continuous training and adopt advanced water management technologies. These innovations are boosting productivity while preserving the delicate ecological balance of the mountains. They also open new economic opportunities, empowering farmers to thrive sustainably in harmony with their environment.
The mission in Tanzania was yet another valuable opportunity to reaffirm the transformative potential of farmers markets to:
- Rebalance power within agrifood value chains
- Reduce dependence on exploitative intermediaries
- Ensure fair incomes and dignified livelihoods for small-scale farmers
Farmers markets are not just places of exchange, they can also be catalysts for social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
This experience strengthens our resolve to continue championing farmers markets as platforms for rural transformation and sustainability.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this trip a wonderful and enriching experience. A special thank you to the FAO and MVIWATA teams for their dedication and commitment.
